


E a questa macchina gli voglio bene

by JuliaBaggins, miso_grace



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, autoshop!AU, mechanic!Fabrizio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 19:03:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15914379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaBaggins/pseuds/JuliaBaggins, https://archiveofourown.org/users/miso_grace/pseuds/miso_grace
Summary: Ermal knows approximately nothing about cars but that really doesn't matter when the owner of the garage he does admin for is as handsome as Fabrizio Moro.





	E a questa macchina gli voglio bene

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a late-night headcanon session between us and about 2000 words in we decided to polish it up a bit and share it with you guys.  
> Title from Io mi innamoro ancora, thanks to @raisedtokeepquiet for the suggestion <3

Ermal had been looking for a job to make some money during his summer holidays from university for quite some time already, and when he saw the handwritten note at one of the uni’s blackboards, mentioning that a car repair shop in town would need some help to do their office work, he applied for it. And was surprised when on the next day already, he got offered the job - seemingly, there hadn’t been many people applying for it, and his candidature had been the one that the shop’s owner liked best. So he went there in the next morning, taking the bus and maybe he got a little bit lost after that, but finally, he found the shop. It smelled like gasoline and rubber when he walked inside and there were some cars standing around, but not a person to be seen anywhere.  
“Hello?”, Ermal called, walking a bit further into the shop, and then he stopped.  
“I’ll be there in a minute!”, a raspy voice called, and then, he walked in. A man, probably a little older than Ermal, with a bright smile and some stubble on his face, messy dark hair, and a bunch of tattoos on his muscular arms. He was wearing a blue shirt, some grease on it, the top buttons open, and Ermal couldn’t help but stare a little.  
The man walked towards Ermal, extending his hand, and introduced himself.  
“Hi, my name’s Fabrizio, I’m the owner here, and I guess you must be Ermal?”  
“Yes, I am, how did you know?”, Ermal asked, wondering why Fabrizio didn’t think he was a customer.  
“Well, usually people come to my shop together with their cars”, Fabrizio said with a little laugh, and oh, wasn’t that a very charming sound.  
They shook hands and Fabrizio showed Ermal to the little office right next to the workshop, gave him a password for the computer there and explained some of his tasks. And then he said that he would have to look after this Skoda over there, he hoped Ermal would not mind, so he got up and smiled at the younger man once more. Ermal watched Fabrizio for a moment, how he got to work with the car, and he couldn’t deny that this was a very nice sight.

After just a few days at the shop it became pretty clear that Ermal was not the only person to find Fabrizio exceedingly handsome, oh no, he by far wasn’t the only person to think so. No, just about every woman that came to the shop had the hots for Fabri. And not a single on of them ever tried to hide it.  
Ermal wasn’t sure whether Fabrizio was really that oblivious or whether he was just used to all the female attention and just ignoring it but he never showed any reaction to the flirtations.  
Not that Ermal was watching Fabrizio all the time of course, but, well, the office had big glass windows out on the garage yard, it was simply in his field of vision.  
He wasn’t even sure why all the female attention Fabrizio was getten even irked him so much. And no, it was not jealousy, as Marco had suggested after Ermal had called to complain about the middle aged, married, mother of two that had shamelessly flirted with, or rather at, Fabrizio.

And ok, maybe he was a bit more into Fabrizio than he liked to admit, but really, who could fault him for that?  
The man had a tendency to wear pants that were just a smidgeon too tight, and shirts that were always partially unbuttoned. Hell, he even looked good in work overalls.  
And yes, some days, when there just wasn’t much admin to do he would find his eyes straying, always landing on Fabrizio. And he did look ever so good bent over the hood over a car. Or clad in just a tank top, grease on his arms and wiping the sweat of his forehead, giving Ermal a very nice view of both his biceps and his tattoos.

 

One day, after he had eaten his sandwich for lunch, Ermal strolled into the work space, where Fabrizio stared rather concentrated at a grey car.  
“What’s wrong with it?”, Ermal asked, just to start a conversation, to hear that very nice voice.  
“Well, I suspect it’s the autocatalyst, but I’m not sure yet - this is a rather unusual model in Italy, I haven’t worked with it before, and-”, Fabrizio continued to talk about the technical details, but stopped after a look at Ermal.  
“I’m sorry, this must be so boring to you, I sometimes can’t help my rambling when it comes to cars.”  
“Oh it’s fine, it’s interesting, really, I just, well, I gotta admit that I don’t even know what an autocatalyst really does?”  
Fabrizio smiled at that, and then he started explaining it to Ermal, pointing at some parts of the car standing next to him, and Ermal loved with how much passion he talked, how happy he seemed whenever Ermal had a question, and if the younger man sometimes zoned out a tiny bit to just listen to the sound of this voice, to stare at those lips, then no one would have to know. Except that Fabrizio noticed Ermal’s concentration not being at 100%, but he didn’t mind - it was not as if the other man would have been obliged to listen to his car talks, he didn’t actually need this for his tasks in the office, and Fabrizio appreciated that he tried. And the smile that Ermal shot him after he had talked about one of his favourite vintage cars with quite a lot of enthusiasm really is the sweetest thing Fabrizio had seen all day.

Though later that day, it got a tough competition - a middle aged man brought in his car for a check, and when Fabrizio first laid eyes on the 1965 corvette in bright red, he fell in love. Ermal noticed the stars in Fabrizio’s eyes when he did all kinds of tests with the car, and once he was happy with the result, he knocked at the office’s door frame with a smile.  
“Ermal? I need to take this baby for a little test drive, and I wondered if you’d maybe like to join me? I mean, you’ve already been such a big help and it’s great weather outside, so I’m sure it would be nice, unless you have something else to do of course?”  
“I’d love to join you”, Ermal answered, and if Fabrizio wasn’t as oblivious as he seemed to be, Ermal might have wondered if his smile would give him away. But it didn’t, and even if Fabrizio noticed anything, he probably would have thought that Ermal was so enthusiastic because he would get to spend some time in this dreamy car. Which he was, of course he was, but it was about the company rather than about the automobile.

They quickly left the town’s center behind, some heads turning around after the beautiful red car, and once they had made it into the woods just a little outside of town, Ermal made the mistake to look to his side. Fabrizio sat completely relaxed, one hand on the wheel, the other on the window and the wind was playing with his hair. And “ohmygodohmygod”, Ermal’s mind supplied, he was so very screwed here.  
Fabrizio kept asking Ermal questions this time around, because, as he claimed, he had bored Ermal enough with shop talk and Ermal couldn’t believe it. Fabrizio was genuinely interested in knowing more about him? And it was so hard to actually focus on the conversation at first, not on the man sitting in the driver's seat; on his smile that broke free once they reached a mountain road where they were the only car to be seen and he could go a bit higher in speed, but with time, Ermal managed. He talked a bit about his studies, his family, and suddenly, a song that he's always loved came on at the radio.

And he tried, he really tried, but he just couldn’t keep silent and so he started humming along. By the time the time the chorus hit he was full on singing.  
When another voice joined in his head whipped around and he stared at Fabrizio in amazement. Was there anything, anything the man wasn’t good at?  
“Why’d you stop? You’re good, no, scratch that, you’re great”  
And so they drove up the serpentines, singing along to classic rock songs at the top of their lungs

Fabri really wished that trip wouldn't end, but at the same time, he knew that it would be very unfortunate to run out of gasoline, especially up in the mountains, and extra especially in a client's car, and gosh, why didn't he think of stopping at a gas station beforehand, damn it. So once they had reached the top of their mountain, he told Ermal that they should head back, and saw his smile flicker for a second. And oh no, his heart very much doesn't like to see this.  
But then Ermal's eyes started to shine, as he properly took in their view for the first time, the city down below them, the mountains a little dusty, a lake in the distance, and wow, it was so breathtakingly beautiful. And Fabri realized that it wouldn't hurt to just park the car here for a moment or two.  
So he pulled over and and turned off the engine. They just sat next to each other, admiring the view for a while, no need for words.  
“You know, I’ve never been out here.”, Ermal broke the silence, “thank you for taking me with you.”  
They continued to sit in comfortable silence until Fabrizio noticed the dark clouds gathering in the distance  
“I think we had better go before we get caught in a thunderstorm.”  
Ermal’s smile slipped again for a second but he nodded.  
So Fabrizio tentatively reached over and squeezed his hand quickly and reassured Ermal that he had a great time, the best best in quite some time (though he doesn’t say that part out loud) and that he’s gonna take him along next time again.

So they drove back, still singing along but with the mood slightly dampened. Once they were back at the shop Ermal headed to the office and leaned in the doorway, watching Fabrizio check the car, and damn if that man didn’t look good bent over the bonnet.  
Aaaaand nope, not going there, get your mind out of the gutter Meta he reprimanded himself

Fabri might be aware of Ermal staring cause the inside of the bonnet, for reasons unknown to him, not that he's complaining mind, was reflective,and he can't say that he minds the other man's looks. And if he might put on a little show on here, well, he's pretty sure it's not unwelcome, and that thought causes him to smile.  
And no, Fabrizio wasn’t not above sneaking a few glances out of the corner of his eyes himself. He let his gaze roam over those long, long legs, those surprisingly strong arms, the dreamy smile and those glorious curls. And just for a moment he let himself imagine the what ifs.  
With one last lingering glance at Fabrizio’s rather shapely behind - ‘Just say he’s got a great ass Meta’ his inner voice gleefully supplied - Ermal turned around and headed into the office.  
Only to then continue staring over the computer screen. In his defense though, there wasn’t actually anything for him to do  
After some time, Fabrizio was finished with the car, and after splashing some water in his face, the drops running down his chest, he joined Ermal in the office. Ermal, who was desperately trying to look busy, but Fabri could tell that he wasn’t, and he knew that Ermal already had already done their monthly stuff and after they had come back from their little trip there had been no new people coming to the shop. So he offered that Ermal could go home earlier today.  
"Or, you know, some of my friends are coming over today, and we wanna go out for some food and a few drinks and you, well, maybe you would like to join?", Fabrizio asked, almost a little shy, and was doing things to Ermal.

“I, yes, absolutely, I’d love to!”, he said eagerly, immediately turning bright red. Way to be subtle, way to be subtle.  
But luckily Fabrizio didn’t even notice his face resembling an overripe tomato and just beamed at him. And oh god, Ermal was done in for. That smile could rival a thousand suns, how could you not expect him to deeply and irreversibly fall for it.

"Wonderful, I mean, that's great, I mean, yeah, cool, I'm sure you'll get along with them just wonderful", and then Fabrizio suddenly remembered that he still had to look after something that Ermal is pretty convinced he already had done some time ago. Fabrizio's friends got there about half an hour later, and the first one stepped up to Ermal, giving him a pat to the shoulder and saying "Oh *finally*!"

Ermal couldn’t deny being a little confused about this, but then Fabri joined them, and he changed his shirt for their night out, and oh wow, isn't that a sight for sore eyes. (not that he wouldn't be anyways)  
While Fabrizio always has a tendency to leave a few buttons open at work that night his shirt was practically gaping open, and ohmygod, that’s a really nice view. Ermal is so lost in thought, contemplating how nicely that white shirt set off Fabrizio's tan he practically jumped when the man clapped a hand on his shoulder, calling his name.  
He looks apologetically at Ermal, and when they leave the shop shortly after, Fabri walks close to Ermal's side, asking him if he's okay. At that Ermal had to smile, and then Fabri carefully put an arm around his shoulders, too lost in how nice this feels to notice the glances that his friends exchange.

And oh holy shit, Ermal was dying a little bit inside. He stiffened very briefly before, subtly, trying to lean more into Fabrizio’s side. Fabrizio had to suppress a triumphant smile at that and tightened his arm slightly. Ermal let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, a content smile on his face and breathes in the other man’s scent.

And Fabrizio had to summon a lot of self control when Ermal leans into him, his curls tickling his neck, to not bury his face in them.. 

His friends already had agreed to share cars to the bar, and as it happens Ermal and Fabri landed in one together, at the back of a VW beetle. And really, it's not like you could actually avoid a little body contact when being in that particular situation, could you?

The correct answer would be no, of course not. And if Fabrizio sits a bit closer to Ermal than he absolutely needs to, well nobody needed to know.  
And if Fabrizio’s friend drove like like a suicidal madman on purpose, well nobody needed to know that either.  
And it worked, because after a particularly rough corner Ermal griped Fabrizio’s hand tightly, holding on for dear life. Fabrizio squeezed back and rubbed a thumb over the back of Ermal’s hand soothingly.

Once they reached the bar, Fabrizio helped Ermal out of the car, placing his hand on his lower back - just for reasons of keeping him steady of course, these cars with only 2 doors can be quite tricky. They find a nice table inside and once everyone has got a drink, Fabri's friends immediately started asking Ermal questions, first about his life and then "Soo, did he already charm you with one of his songs?" And wait, *his* songs?

 

He turned to stare at Fabrizio, who was glaring daggers at his friends.  
“You write songs?”

“Yes? Occasionally?”, and oh god Fabrizio was honest to god blushing, that should be illegal 

Ermal beams at him.  
“That is so cool! You know, I write songs too. You have to show me some of your songs, please!”

"Oh yes Fabrizio, you have to do this! Maybe the new one you mentioned? You know, the one you wrote thanks to all that new found inspiration?", and Fabri looked about ready to leave the table and go looking for new friends. But at the same time, Ermal mentioned that he's writing music too, and oh, his voice, that voice when they had been singing together in the car, he couldn’t get that out of his mind. So he suggested Ermal joining him for a smoke outside, not minding his friends' chuckles, and once they had left the bar he suggested that maybe they could meet tomorrow after work, and each share a bit of their songs?

 

Ermal enthusiastically agreeed. Afterwards they stood in comfortable silence, passing the cigarette between them and both looking up at the stars. And sneaking glances when they thought the other wasn’t looking. Every time their fingers brushed while passing the cigarette a shiver, the good kind, ran down Ermal’s spine and oh how he wished he could freeze this moment, stay right there, in that back alley forever.

After some time, Ermal noticed the goosebumps on Fabrizio's skin, and as much as a cheesy cliché it might be, he wished he had a jacket with him that he could offer the other man. But as he hadn’t brought one himself and it really was getting quite cold, they agreed to go back inside, and Fabrizio opened the door for Ermal with a smile, that smile that he was already oh so far gone for.

Ermal smiled back and that was everything Fabrizio needed to brace himself for his friends. But having Ermal here with him is worth their good natured teasing. The rest of the evening passed by quickly, too quickly, and with a multitude of little touches. Little touches, that, on their own could easily be explained away, but in combination only served fan the warm feeling in Fabrizio’s chest

One of Fabri's friends drove the two of them back to the car shop, this time not in a small car that nearly forced one to be in touch but in a jeep, and even the almost luxurious amounts of space there don't change anything about Ermal and Fabrizio basically being joined by the hip. They end up having to take a road longer than on the way to the bar, because there had been an accident, and at some point, Ermal leaned his head on Fabri's shoulder and snuggled into him.

Fabrizio gently ran his fingers through Ermal’s hair and he swears to god, the younger man practically started purring. And then Ermal fell asleep on Fabrizio’s shoulder and Fabrizio couldn’t help but stare at his peaceful face. 

Getting Ermal to wake up once they reach the car shop turned out to be nigh on impossible and he stumbled out of the car still half asleep. Fabrizio’s heart melts at the sight.

“It’s really late, and you’re dead on your feet Ermal. You know, if you want you could sleep at my flat tonight, it’s right next to the shop”

Ermal blinked at him, it seemed as if his tired mind needed moment to process Fabrizio's offer, and then he nodded with a little smile. Behind Ermal's back, Fabri's friend kept on raising his eyebrow in a rather suggestive manner but Fabri tried to shut him up with a look - he really didn’t have any ulterior motives here, at least not like this. He just wanted Ermal to be safe, to get a good night's sleep which he clearly needed, and yes, maybe he also liked the idea of seeing him tomorrow in the morning, and oh, now his mind was thinking about how Ermal's wonderful curls might look when he just got out of bed...

Unbeknownst to Fabrizio Ermal was entertaining similar thoughts. Of course he was also extremely grateful to not have to make his way back home but the thought of waking up in Fabrizio’s flat in the morning, seeing him with be hair, having breakfast together and going to work together was much more prevalent in his brain at the moment. And so he readily agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little thing of ours, please leave kudos and/or a comment if you did?


End file.
